‘Murugu’ means ‘beauty’; hence ‘Murugan’ means ‘Beautiful one’.
Where there is beauty, love shines; where there is love, truth
sparkles. When we seek the Truth, we get liberated.

It is said that Lord Muruga taught the Indian language Tamil to
Saint Agasthiar. Lord Muruga Himself sat as the leader for the
academy of poets (Tamil Sangam) in Madurai (Tamil Nadu) and the
language flourished as a result. Accordingly, He is called the
God of Tamil.

In the Holy Pantheon of
Hindu gods and goddesses,Muruga has been given pride of place.
This is particularly discernible in the southern parts of India and some
countries in the Far East where Tamil-speaking people form a significant
segment of the population. Lord Muruga is considered essentially as the
Tamil God (Tamizh Kadavul). He is the repository of Jñana (Knowledge)
and the very fountainhead of the three branches of Tamil literature --
prose (iyal), verse (icai) and theatre (natakam). Great sages like
Agasthya had worshipped Him and secured His grace. The dwarfish
Agasthya, according to legends, had gone to Podiyamalai in the South and
maintained the earth's equilibrium at Lord Siva's command. The occasion
was Siva's marriage with Parvati when large multitudes of sages and
devotees flocked to Kailasa, causing sinkage of the earth's north side
(Himalayas) and upturn of the southern portion. Nakkeerar, Poyya Mozhi,
Auvvaiyar, Kacciyappa Sivachariyar, Kumara Gurupara and Arunagirinatha
are the other names instantly coming to one's mind; they were all close
to Muruga's heart and who composed priceless and soul-stirring
devotional gems in Tamil.

Muruga's glory and pre-eminence arise due to three reasons: He 'arrived'
on this planet as the son of Lord Siva, as the younger brother of Lord Ganesa and as the nephew of Lord Narayana. He is venerated as Kaliyuga
Varada, the God who blesses and protects those who ardently seek His
grace (in this Age of Quarrel). Kausalya, Lord Rama's mother invoked the
blessings of Skanda when Rama took leave of her prior to his departure
to the forest as per King Dasaratha's wish. And in the Bhagavad Gita,
Lord Krishna declares that among all commanders, He is Skanda. Muruga
contains in Himself the three divine eternal functions -- creation
(sristi), protection (sthithi) and destruction (samhara) as evidenced by
the three first letters in His name: MU -- Mukundan (Vishnu), RU --
Rudra (Siva) and KA -- Kamalan (Brahma). The three integral elements of
Muruga's personality are spear (vel) in His hand, peacock as His mount
and cock adorning His banner. Vel signifies jñanasakti (power of
wisdom); this was given to Muruga by His Divine Mother. Parvati wishing
Him victory over asuras (titans) led by the tyrannous Surapadma. The
glittering spear of Muruga is venerated by devotees as Sakti Vel or
Veera Vel signifying its extraordinary power and strength. Cock and
peacock represent nada and bindu. The peacock displays the divine shape
of Omkara when it spreads its magnificent plumes into a full-blown
circular form, while the cock proclaims loudly the Pranava sound OM.
Muruga shines as the very essence of the Vedas and mantras.

Muruku in Tamil denotes divineness, handsomeness, youthfulness,
happiness, fragrance and sweetness. The Lord is the very manifestation
of handsomeness, robust youthfulness, masculinity, fragrance and
unmatched valour and the abode of happiness. One would be endowed with
everlasting youthfulness only when he or she is not getting old. Human
beings take birth in this earth, pass through different stages such as
childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age and ultimately met with
the inevitable death. They are again born in this world not necessarily
in the same form as they were in their previous births. This process
goes on endlessly.9 Muruga, on the other hand, has neither a beginning
nor an end; He is not born nor dead. Age does not wither Him away. This
explains His evergreen youthfulness. The sun is not visible to us
temporarily at night; for this reason one cannot conclude that the sun
has ceased to exist, for when darkness engulfs a part of the globe, the
sun is shining bright somewhere else. We come to know of its existence
when it rises again in the morning. Muruga's 'appearance' on this planet
is analogous to this eternal phenomenon

The epic Skanda Purana, one of the eighteen puranas created by Veda
Vyasa, vividly narrates the circumstances which led to the divine
'appearance' of Muruga, His glory and heroic achievements. He 'rose' to
protect gods who were subject to extreme tormentation and cruelty by
demon Surapadma. They all appealed collectively to Lord Siva to come to
their rescue. Moved by their plight, Siva willed to bring forth a
powerful divine personality, an element of Himself, but yet distinct
from Him, Who would have unparalleled bravery and Who alone would be
able to slay Surapadma and his clan. The extremely powerful spark which
emanated from His third eye was carried by the Fire God (Agni) and was
deposited in Saravana ('stand of reeds') Lake; there arose six cute tiny
tots who were looked after by six Krittika maidens; the six forms later
united to become a single Six-Faced Child with resplendent beauty. Added
to Siva's five faces Sadhyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusa and Ishana
was Adhomurka; thus He became Shanmukha. He is known as Saravanabhava as
He emerged out of Saravana Lake, and Karttikeya since six Krittika
maidens took the six babies in their arms and showered affection on
them.

Brahma, the Creator, happened to slight the young Muruga during one of
his visits to Kailasa. Muruga wished to teach a lesson to the Creator
for his act of imprudence. He asked the four-faced Creator the meaning
of the Pranava. When he could not explain satisfactorily, Muruga taunted
Brahma and not content with that imprisoned him too. He concluded that
Brahma was not fit to perform the assigned job. He then assumed the role
of the Creator! Muruga freed Brahma from prison when Siva, Vishnu and
Indra prayed at His lotus Feet and requested for the release of the
Creator.

Muruga turned a guru or teacher when He explained the essence of Pranava
to His Father who received the upadesa in all humility as a disciple. He
thus came to be known as Swaminatha

Another interesting anecdote links Muruga's taking a full round of the
universe mounted on His mighty peacock. the legend has it that sage
Narada once visited Kailasa, the abode of Siva, and presented Him with a
divine pomegranate fruit. As is usually the case with fathers, Siva
wanted to give it to His children Ganesa and Muruga rather than
consuming it Himself. In this process, He hatched a plot as a prelude to
an eventful drama. He would not allow the fruit to be shared by two
brothers. Instead, He announced that the fruit would be given to either
of the two who returned first after taking a round of the universe. No
sooner had Siva said this than young Muruga started off riding on the
back of His peacock. His elder brother Ganesa acted in a different
manner. To Him, His eternal Parents Siva and Parvati represented the
world and circumambulating them would be equivalent to circling the
world. With this well-reasoned thought fixed in His mind, He took a
round of His Parents and instantly annexed the prized fruit. Muruga, on
return from His whirlwind trip around the universe, learnt that His
elder brother had already won the competition. A disappointed Muruga
left Kailasa and proceeded straight to Palani Hill in South India. The
name Palani is in fact the derivative of Pazahm Nee (Thou art the Fruit
of Jñana) as addressed by His Parents who rushed to Palani to soothe the
enraged Muruga.

Surapadma, who had the temerity to confront Muruga despite being
forewarned, became prey to His powerful Vel (spear) after a stiff fight.
Muruga acted as Supreme Commander (Deva Senapati) and freed the gods
from their captivity. The ever-compassionate Lord converted the two
portions of His slain enemy as an integral part of Himself -- one
becoming Peacock, His mount and the other the Cock adorning His banner.

Muruga's consorts are Valli and Devayanai. They represent Inch Sakti and
Krill Sakti. They were in reality Sundaravalli and Amudavalli, who were
born out of the tears of joy of Narayana when He incarnated as
Trivikrama. Both the celestials damsels did intense penance with the
object of attaining the exalted status as Muruga's consorts. Pleased
with their prayers, Muruga appeared before them and ordained that
Amudavalli would be born in Devaloka as Indra's daughter, while
Sundaravalli would take birth on the earth in a hunter tribe. The Lord
promised to marry both Valli and Devayanai. The marriage of Muruga and
Devayanai took place at Tirupparankundram attendant with full Vedic
rites. Devayanai was in fact gifted to Muruga by Devendra in grateful
acknowledgment of heroism and valour displayed by Muruga as the Supreme
Commander of divine forces and His triumph over the deadly race of
titans. Deva Senapati (General of the Gods) thus became Devasena Pati
(Husband of Devasena).

Muruga's wedding with Valli is replete with many interesting interludes.
Muruga chose to engage in a few frolics before accepting Valli as His
Consort. King Nambi Rajah of Chittoor, the head of the hunter tribe, had
seven sons and he was aspiring to have a daughter. He was deeply devoted
to Muruga. The sage Sivamuni, who was doing tapasya in the forest,
chanced to see a female deer and his mere sight resulted in the animal
becoming pregnant. The animal delivered a beautiful baby girl and left
the place. King Nambi, who had gone to the forest with his sons to hunt,
saw the bewitching babe and brought it home and began to foster the
child as his own daughter. As the girl was found among valli creepers,
she was named Valli. Valli ceaselessly nurtured the thought of Muruga
even from her tender age and was determined to have Him as her Husband
and none else. When she became of marriageable age, Nambi Rajah, in tune
with the hunter tribe custom, sent her to 'tinaippunam' (field growing
tinai [millet]). She was to keep vigil perched on a high rise rostrum
and protect the crop from wandering birds until the crop was ready to
harvest. It was at this time that Valli got guru diksha from sage Narada
who met her and said to her that Muruga would be the ideal match for
her. The words of the sage pleased Valli highly. She was in fact having
this very thought for years! Narada went to nearby Tiruttani where the
Lord was in repose mood after the fierce battle with Surapadma. The sage
reminded Muruga about His assurance to marry the two maidens and told
that one girl remaining to be wed, Valli, was yearning intensely and
persistently for Him.

Muruga's leela began now. He first appeared as a hunter and did not find
any positive response from Valli to His clever approaches. He turned
into a giant venkai tree when Valli's father suddenly appeared on the
scene. Thereafter, He took the form of a trembling old man and ate
millet flour and honey mixture offered by Valli feigning that He was
feeling very hungry. He proposed to wed her, much to the chagrin of
Valli. Finally, Muruga invoked the blessings of His elder brother Ganesa
for success of His mission. On the fervent appeal of His younger
brother, Ganesa appeared as a wild elephant in the forest and began to
chase Valli. Terrified by the mighty pachyderm's menacing advance, Valli
ran for protection and came straight into the arms of Muruga.

Muruga's abodes are countless. He resides mostly at hilltops. Among His
holy abodes, six are prominent and these are known as Aaru Padai
Veedugal. A vivid portrayal of these six sacred places is found in the
opera Tirumurugatruppadai composed by Nakkeerar, the famed poet. The six
holy abodes of Muruga are: Tirupparankundram, Tiruchendur,
Tiruvavinankudi (Palani), Tiruverakam, Kundrutoraadal (Tiruttani and
several other hills) and Pazhamutircolai.

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